If you bike, walk or drive on Franklin, Minnehaha or Cedar Ave. near the intersection of all 3 streets you may have notice what a mess this intersection is. After years of discussion it looks like there will finally be big changes to that area, Minnehaha Ave. north of Franklin and just in front of Taco Bell is going to be closed to traffic.
Our job now is to figure out what to do with all the new plaza space that will be created. Do you want to get involved? Various groups and people in the neighborhood, including SNG, Redesign, SPOKES (Cycles for Change) have been working for years to get improvements to the Franklin/Cedar/Minnehaha intersection to make it safer for people who drive, people who walk and people who bike. Hennepin County and Minneapolis Public Works have come up with a plan for improvements. It isn’t perfect but it is better than now. (and it fits in the very limited budget available in the two public works departments). The plan is for construciton late this summer. We’ve already talked with Metro Transit, the Fire Department Taco Bell, the new owners of the Blue Nile site.
Check out this blog post on the intersection.
There are three public meetings coming up about the plans:
Tuesday, January 26, 3 to 5 PM
General overview, Discussion about the new plaza that will be created.
Cycles for Change Minneapolis (Formerly SPOKES)
1915 E 22nd Street, Minneapolis
(1/2 block west of Minnehaha Avenue on 22nd Street)
Hosted by Cycles for Change and Seward Neighborhood Group
Wednesday, January 27, 5 to 6:30 PM
General overview and Bicycle and Pedestrian plans discussion with the County Engineers
Precision Grind Coffee, 2223 East Franklin, Minneapolis
Hosted by Minneapolis Bicycle Coalition
Tuesday, February 9, 7 PM
Discussion and Neighborhood Approval Decision
Seward Neighborhood Group Community Development Meeting
Matthews Center, 2318 28th Avenue S, Minneapolis
